


Melt Away

by tattoosanta



Series: Persona Fic Compendium [3]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Crying, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, Heart-to-Heart, Love Confessions, M/M, Mementos (Persona 5), Non-Consensual Kissing, Pre-Slash, quite possibly the WORST place to have a heart-to-heart talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 03:56:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12004503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tattoosanta/pseuds/tattoosanta
Summary: Only days after the Goro's betrayal, Akira decides he wants to try and set things right the only way he knows how.





	Melt Away

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic ended up a LOT longer than I was expecting it to. :T   
> Enjoy it anyway!  
> After I take a short break to actually PLAY more Persona 5, I'll continue with Humanity's Unconscious Wish and then start chapter 14 of He Doesn't Believe in Psychics!

Akira was alone in Mementos. He’d promised Morgana he wouldn’t do that, but he had something he  _ had  _ to get done. This was important; enough so that he would go behind the backs of his closest--and only--friends to make sure he could do it.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Okay, I can do this…” He didn’t have Futaba with him to help navigate, though. Mementos was easy to get lost in, and if he wasn’t fast enough… 

“No, I have to just go. Trust my instincts and go.” If he spent too long thinking, he’d end up waiting too long. There was no time to be moping around and ruminating in his regret and anxiety. 

He took off running, allowing his heart to lead him where his mind would not. He thought he would get lost, or at least turned around, but he found himself getting what seemed to be closer to his destination. If he could just get a little bit farther, maybe… 

He came to a stop all of a sudden at the sight of exactly who he was looking for. He hadn’t expected it to be so easy… Well, in a relative sense of the word, that is. Who knew how difficult it would be to get past the finding part? 

_ Okay… I can do this.  _ He took a deep breath and lifted his mask. All he had to do was approach without getting shot at… or having his target run away from him. 

“I know you’re there.” Suddenly, the other boy turned his head toward him and frowned. “You make a presence of yourself whenever you’re trying to do something. It’s terrible for sneaking up on people.” 

Akira sighed and closed his eyes. “Well, Akechi-kun, I didn’t want you to run away. I just want to talk to you.” He sounded like a disappointed mom or something…  _ Ugh. He’ll just get mad.  _

He prepared himself for that, but all Goro did was sigh and shake his head. “You and I both know we don’t have anything to talk about right now. You’re here because you think you can  _ save  _ me. You think you can be the hero!” 

“No, I don’t think I can save you.” Akira frowned. “I’m pretty sure you don’t  _ want  _ to be saved, anyway. You think you’re beyond saving, so I don’t think it’s worth it to waste my time trying.” It was better that he just laid it all out there anyway. 

Goro turned around and looked Akira over carefully. “Then why are you here? If you know I don’t want to be saved, why are you talking to me right now?” He couldn’t understand it. Never before had someone gone searching for him, despite their knowledge that he didn’t want them around. Akira was a rare case yet again. 

“Because I wanted to apologize.” Akira closed his eyes. “I doubt it will mean anything to you at this point, but I want to apologize for everything. For not opening up to you, for the distrust, and for everything else I did or didn’t do that made everything worse.” 

Goro stopped for a moment, a shocked look on his face, then he frowned. “Why are you apologizing  _ now _ ?! Now that everything’s already happened! I’ve already betrayed whatever trust you had in me, and now you think you need to be  _ apologizing?!  _ You must be stupid!” 

He turned on his heel, his fists clenched. “If you think I’m stupid enough to believe you’re just here to apologize, you need to get the hell out of here already.” 

“Alright, then.” Akira took a deep breath and a few steps closer. “I had something else in mind when I came in here by myself, Akechi-kun. I wanted to talk to you at length one more time, because this is important to me.”

“Spit it out, then.” Goro spat, and Akira flinched at the clear venom in his voice. It was obvious his patience was running short, and honestly? He couldn’t blame him. He’d be impatient too in this situation. “If you take too long, I’m just going to leave.” 

Akira let out a deep breath and shook his head. “I’ll be fast, then.” He just had to sort through his thoughts first. He had to be fast, but… he could do it. “I know you hate me, or you think I’m stupid or whatever, but…” 

He felt his heart begin to pound. This was  _ not  _ how he imagined this conversation going. In fact, he hadn’t imagined this conversation at all before earlier that day. “Since I doubt I’ll ever see you again after this, at least turn to look at me.”

Goro snorted, but at the very least he humored Akira’s request and turned around to face him. Akira could see the anger and hatred in his eyes for just a moment before they glazed over into something incomprehensible. Maybe he was trying to distance himself from the situation? 

“Make it quick. I don’t have the time nor the patience to deal with you right now.”

“I know.” Akira smiled sadly and rubbed the back of his neck. He could swear his cheeks were as red as his gloves at that point, but in the dim red light of Mementos, it was hard to tell. He took a small step forward and closed the distance between them. 

Goro almost backed up, as if sensing Akira’s intentions, but he stood his ground. What he hadn’t expected was for Akira to quickly, gently, and nervously press their lips together for only a moment. It ended as quickly as it began, barely giving him time to say--or think--anything. 

Akira quickly replaced his mask as soon as he backed up, and he turned around. “I couldn’t find a way to say it out loud, so I hope that was good enough for you.” He cleared his throat and stared straight ahead. 

“I don’t want to make myself sound like a stereotypical anime protagonist right now, but… I really don’t want to end up fighting against you later on. You were invaluable as an ally; I can only imagine how formidable a foe you’ll end up as.” 

When Goro said nothing, he glanced back for just a moment. “Please be careful in here, Goro-kun.” He let out a small sigh and started to walk away, before his emotions got the best of him. 

He didn’t make it very far, as the moment he started to walk, there was a hand on his wrist. He jumped at the sudden pressure, and turned his head in concern. His surprise only worsened when he realized what had grabbed him suddenly. 

He turned fully to face Goro, who was gripping his wrist as though he might disappear if he let go. His face was bright red, and he refused to look Akira in the face. 

“Why did you do that…?” His voice was suddenly soft, uncertain, and quiet. Akira could tell just by looking at him that he was completely out of his element. He was scared, obviously, and confused. He didn’t know what to say after that, as he was still reeling from what Akira had done a moment ago. 

Akira bit his lip, just slightly too hard, and looked away. “I couldn’t put what I wanted to say into words. It was unnecessary, but…”

Goro shook his head quickly, his mouth open as if to say something. His demeanor had changed significantly from only a moment ago. Akira couldn’t help but find this fact just a little bit cute. “You… I…” 

He let go of Akira’s wrist and closed his eyes for a moment, wringing his hands together nervously. He couldn’t seem to get his thoughts in order, since he was so flustered all of a sudden. If there was a thought translator somewhere in the world, he would definitely be wanting and needing one at the moment. 

“Y-You… you called me by my first name.” 

Akira blinked a few times. He’d never heard Goro sound so… surprised, before. Well, he wasn’t sure if surprised was the proper adjective for it. Perhaps… insecure, or anxious. Either way, it was a new look. 

“I… hope that wasn’t something you didn’t want me to do.” He cleared his throat finally and removed his mask again. “I just figured, since… I might not get the chance to have a one-on-one talk with you again, that I’d try it out. I never got the chance while you were with the Phantom Thieves.” 

He paused for a moment to gauge whatever new reaction Goro might have. He couldn’t tell, since there was a mask covering the majority of the other boy’s face, but the look in his eyes said everything he would ever need to know… and then some. 

“Nobody ever calls me that.” Goro bit his lip and took the mask off his face. He held it gingerly, as if it might break if he held it too roughly. Akira had to wonder if it was a metaphor for his heart, or if it was just the emotion of the moment. 

He felt his chest constrict for a moment, and he searched Goro’s face for anything resembling contempt. When he found none, he closed his eyes against the inexplicable sadness creeping up on him. “It’s your name, I don’t know why people won’t use it…” 

Goro bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. “Nobody trusts me. Nobody cares. Nobody ever has! It doesn’t matter what I do; nothing changes!” Suddenly, it was like a dam broke. Everything was coming out, whether Goro wanted it to or not. 

“You don’t understand! Someone like you, who people can at least warm up to, could  _ never  _ understand how lonely it is!” 

It felt like a dagger straight through Akira’s heart. Goro was right; he could never understand how lonely it was for him… He could never relate in that way.

“You’re right, I can’t understand what it feels like. I’ll never know how painful it is for you.” He closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. “I have to accept that, but… if you’ll let me, I can at least try to ease that pain.”

There was a heavy silence after that, as Akira searched for a reaction from Goro, and as Goro looked down at his hands. The only sound surrounding either of them was the eerie wind of Mementos, and the moans of the Shadows in the distance. 

Finally, Goro looked up at Akira and searched his eyes. “Who paid you to play such a cruel joke on me?” 

“I would never play such an evil joke on you.” Akira shook his head and took a deep breath. “I know you don’t believe me, but I don’t want to hurt you.” He knew it was too late to say that, seeing as the damage had already been done. 

Goro opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He closed his eyes, squeezed his mask, and let his arms and shoulders fall. For a while, he looked down at his shoes, then he raised only his eyes to look at Akira. 

“You’re dead serious right now, aren’t you…?” For some reason, he just couldn’t make himself believe it, despite the clear evidence in front of him. There was something that felt too good to be true about it, right down to the sickly sincere look in Akira’s eyes. 

Akira smiled and chuckled sadly. “I’m dead serious.” His face fell just a little bit and he shook his head. “I… should let you do whatever it was you came here to do, then.” 

Goro stood quietly for a moment, unable to form a response quite yet. His mind and his heart were at odds, as they had been a few times before this, but this time he couldn’t work it through in a quick and decisive manner. 

Akira turned to leave again, apparently feeling as though this conversation had come to an end. He stuck one hand in his pocket and let out a deep breath. It had gone better than expected, but still not as well as he probably would’ve wanted to. 

“Wait!” Goro finally called out, having come to something that at least somewhat resembled a conclusion in his mind. “Don’t leave yet. I still want to talk.”

“You do?” Akira blinked and turned around in surprise. “What do you want to talk about?” 

“This.” Goro took a deep breath. “I mean… everything. I can’t figure it out. You should have just left me to do whatever I was going to do when I betrayed you, and yet you decided to come chasing after me anyway. I don’t understand.” 

Akira stood there quietly for a moment, then he smiled softly and took a small step forward. “You don’t have to understand everything right away. That’s what other people are for; to lean on and ask questions of when you  _ don’t  _ understand.” 

“You say this like I have people I can lean on…” 

Akira stopped for a moment, though his smile never faltered. He didn’t know if this was going anywhere in the right direction, but he wanted to at least give it a shot. Trying and failing was better than not trying at all, after all. 

“If nothing else, you’ll have me.” 

Goro froze, completely taken aback by the statement. If Akira had said that at any point before then, he probably would’ve laughed in his face, but now… he wasn’t sure what to make of it. The words  _ you’ll have me  _ reverberated in his mind; back and forth like a broken record. He felt like, maybe, if he repeated it enough, some flaw would come through and he would be able to debunk the thought before anything else could happen. 

But he couldn’t. 

So there he was, standing in front of the person he’d just told only a few days prior that he hated more than anything else in the world, telling him he’d be there for him if he needed it. Just a few minutes earlier, he’d been told, through a quick action, of a potentially unrequited love. 

He stood there quietly for another short moment, then let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. “You must be crazy…” 

“We have different definitions of crazy.” Akira smiled easily and shook his head. “I’d have to be really crazy to just let you keep doing what you’ve been doing. I like to call this a small moment of clarity.” 

Goro blinked. “You…” He stopped for a moment. What was he trying to say? For the third time that day, words failed him completely. Never before had he met someone with such capabilities as Akira had. 

He just sighed and closed his eyes as something wet trailed down his cheek slowly. That was…

“You’re crying…” 

The softness, the  _ concern  _ in Akira’s voice stopped whatever racing thoughts Goro had going through his head, and all he felt was the clenching of his chest from the unexpected kindness. It made the tears fall faster. His hands began to shake, and his legs felt weak. It was as though the hard outer shell he’d built over his heart was starting to melt away… 

Before he knew it, and perhaps this was partially due to his lack of vision through the torrent of tears, Akira had once again closed the space between them. How he hadn’t felt the thief’s arms around his own was beyond him. 

“I know I didn’t ask, but you looked like you needed it…” 

He couldn’t help but chuckle just a little bit through the tears, though it sounded just a bit choked. “No, you’re right… thank you.” 

He felt Akira squeeze him gently and rest his chin on his shoulder, and suddenly, it was like everything wrong in his life had vanished like the morning dew on a warm spring morning. If everything went even half as smoothly as this, he figured he could get used to melting a little bit more with each passing day. 


End file.
